Review: 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' is probably the best ever follow-up movie in the MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Moving, Immersive, Emotional, Staggering & yet Astounding

The sequel to probably the best stand-alone film in the MCU, Black Panther immediately had a load on its back to not only deliver a worthy sequel but also celebrate the legacy of the late great Chadwick Boseman.

Having had the chance to see the film beforehand, here's what I thought about it-

Chadwick Boseman - The Legacy

It is as obvious as it can get. The impact that Boseman left not only on-screen as King T'Challa but off-screen too with the people he worked with and the love they have for him needed to be reflected. Right from giving a fitting funeral tribute in the film to dedicating a muted Marvel Studios opener, it was everything that you would expected and one might challenge you not be teary-eyed, because you definitely would.

Not Compromising on Action, Humor & Every Other Element

What Black Panther: Wakanda Forever does incredibly well is not fall into the trap of just being a goodbye to Boseman and forget that in the end, they are making a mammoth film. Be it the sheer magnitude of the world of Wakanda, the newly introduced underwater world of Talokan, the new impending fate that Wakanda faces or any such factor - everything continues to be about this glorious nation and its fight to save themselves and  the exposure of vibranium. The action set pieces are as glorious and ginormous as you would expect but it definitely seems that director Ryan Coogler has taken the right amount of inspiration from the legendary James Cameron in executing some of the finest and breath-taking underwater sequences you would imagine! The introduction of Namor and the Talokan tribe as the new set of indigenous people who aren't actually willing to fight Wakanda but it ends up being one such battle is expertly crafted and led fantastically by actor Tenoch Huerta, who plays Namor. And hey, it wouldn't be MCU if not for some light-hearted humor, isn't it? The humor isn't lost at all where M'baku calling Okoye 'a bald headed demon' or Okoye looking at Agent Ross in handcuffs and saying 'a coloniser in chains, now I have seen everything' were hilarious. 

Rousing Music, BGM & Performances

The film rides heavily on (initially) Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda whose passion, emotions and fury is almost felt through the screen in the best possible way. She becomes one of the pillars of this huge film and the other pillar is Letitia Wright as Shuri. As now-not-so-young Shuri, she is trying to struggle and cope with the loss of her brother T'Challa, the regret of not being able to save him even with the skills and gifts she possesses and of course, the responsibility of protecting Wakanda as the new Black Panther (come on, that isn't a spoiler) is too much to handle. But Wright delivers a class act maintaining the innocence, grief and ultimately grit. Director Coogler once again has that one real world action set-piece which was one of my favorite ones in the film; this piece along with multiple moments in the film is assisted fantastically by rousing music and background score by Academy Award winning composer, Ludwig Goransson. The tribal touch along with modern instruments blend together to provide the film an aid that becomes extremely memorable. And of course, Rihanna makes a rocking comeback with her single 'Lift Me Up' that plays in the end credits.

Does Feel Overstuffed

The only factor that I felt a tad bothered by is that the constant switching of locations led to a loss of information further catapulting to feeling overstuffed. Even though the core story remains rather simple which was the conflict between the rest of the world and Wakanda and now Wakanda and Talokan where the latter also has vibranium. But this led to some portions that felt muddled. Apart from this, the one character that I felt underwhelmed by apart from the end-credits sequence is Nakia (Luipta Nyong'o). Somehow, her sorrow and grief of losing the love of her life, T'Challa wasn't as pronounced as others. Even the sequence where she saves two characters on what is seemingly a fortress rather easily felt rushed and convenient. 

The Impact

In the end, these are factors that in, no way, hamper the celebration of what might be the best two films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe in its history (in continuation). Doubling up as a heart-warming tribute to T'Challa himself and setting up things rather smartly for the future, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever leaves an impact that is rooted in one's mind and heart for a long time to come.

The Verdict

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is just the follow-up you needed to fulfil and honor the legacy of not only a fantastic original first film but also the late great who portrayed King T'Challa in real and reel life.

Rating - **** (4/5)

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is coming to Disney+ Hotstar on February 1st in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.